Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States and one of the great American leaders. His Presidency was dominated by the American Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln was born on 12 February 1809 near Hodgenville, Kentucky. He was brought up in Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. His schoolmate and playmate Benjamin Gollaher (aka "Austin" Gollaher) was the son of poor pioneers. Lincoln himself was largely self-educated. In 1836, he qualified as a lawyer and went to work in a law practice in Springfield, Illinois. He sat in the State Legislature from 1834 to 1842 and in 1846 was elected to Congress, representing the Whig Party for one term. He joined the new Republican Party in 1856 and in 1860 was asked to run as its Presidential candidate.
In the Presidential Campaign, Lincoln made his opposition to slavery very clear. His victory provoked a crisis, with many southerners fearing that he would attempt to abolish slavery in the South. Seven southern states left the Union to form the Confederate States of America, also known as the Confederacy. Four more joined later. Lincoln vowed to preserve the Union even if it meant war.
Fighting broke out in April 1861. Lincoln always defined the Civil War as a struggle to save the Union, but in January 1863 he nonetheless issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves in areas still under Confederate control. This was an important symbolic gesture that identified the Union's struggle as a war to end slavery.
In the effort to win the war, Lincoln assumed more power than any President before him, declaring martial law and suspending legal rights. He had difficulty finding effective generals to lead the Union armies until the appointment of General Ulysses S Grant as overall Commander in 1864.
On 19 November 1863, Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address at the dedication of a cemetery at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg, a decisive Union victory that had taken place earlier in the year.
In 1864, President Lincoln stood for re-election and won. In his second Inaugural Address, he was conciliatory towards the southern states.
On 9 April 1865, Confederate General Robert E Lee surrendered, effectively ending the war. It had lasted for more than four years and 600,000 Americans had died. Less than a week later, Lincoln was shot while attending a performance at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. and died the next morning, 15 April 1865. His assassin, John Wilkes Booth, was a strong supporter of the Confederacy and did not agree with Lincoln's politics. After witnessing Lincoln's speech three days before, Booth particularly, strenuously objected to Lincoln's desire that blacks with certain qualifications be given the vote and exclaimed "That’s the last speech he’ll ever make."[1]
Family Ancestry
Abraham Lincoln[2] was the son of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks. The Lincolns were of English descent and their ancestors are thought to have been of Puritan or Quaker beliefs. In an 1848 letter to one Solomon Lincoln of Hingham, Massachusetts, the President wrote, "We have a vague tradition, that my great-grand father went from Pennsylvania to Virginia; and that he was a quaker. Further back than this, I have never heard any thing."[3] The oldest paternal ancestor
is Robert Lincoln Jr. (abt. 1525 - January 1556). Like many other colonial families, the American Lincolns were farmers.
Family Descendants
Of the four children of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd, only Robert Todd Lincoln ever married and had children.[4] The President's sons Edward Baker, William Wallace, and Thomas "Tad" Lincoln died prior to adulthood. Today, there are just ten known descendants of Lincoln.[4]
Son Robert Todd Lincoln and spouse Mary Eunice Harlan were the parents of three children:
Mary "Mamie" Lincoln married Charles Bradford Isham.
One son, Lincoln Isham, who married Leahalma "Lea" Correa (they were childless).
Abraham Lincoln II (never married / childless).
Jessie Harlan Lincoln married Warren Wallace Beckwith who had two children.
Mary Lincoln Beckwith (childless).
Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith married Ann Marie Hoffman but died childless.
The Lincoln family line is believed to have been extinct since its last undisputed descendant, Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith, died on 24 December 1985 without any children. NOTE: Robert's second wife did have a son, named Timothy Lincoln Beckwith, whose legitimacy has never been proven.[4]
Timeline
As the life of Abraham Lincoln has been thoroughly examined and chronicled by a wide pantheon of authors with an equally wide number of points of view and agendas, this biography will primarily focus on the genealogical benchmarks throughout Lincoln's life. A selection of these biographies is provided for further reading at the bottom of the profile.
1809 February 12[5][6][7][8][9][10] Abraham Lincoln is born to Thomas and Nancy Lincoln[11][12][13][6][7][8][9][10] in Sinking Spring Farm, Hodgenville, Hardin County, Kentucky, USA.[7][6][9] Reference was also found for the following birth places: Hardin County, Kentucky, USA[5][13] and Buffalo, Hardin County, Kentucky. [8]
1816[5][6] Abraham moved from Kentucky to Little Pigeon Creek, Perry County (now Spencer County), Indiana with his family.
1818 October 5[14][5]Nancy Lincoln - Abraham's mother - dies from milk sickness, although several other causes of death have been hypothesized.
1828 January 20[15] Abraham's older sister Sarah dies while giving birth.
1830 Abraham moved from Indiana to approximately 10 miles southwest of Decatur, Macon County, Illinois, with his family.[5]
1831[16] Abraham moved on his own to New Salem, Macon County, Illinois
1832 April 21[17] Enlisted and was made captain of the 4th Regiment of Mounted Volunteers, 31st Regiment Sangamon County, 1st Division, Illinois Militia.[18][5][6] He served during the Black Hawk War but saw no combat.
1833 May 7[19][5] Appointed postmaster of New Salem, Illinois by President Andrew Jackson. Served in this post until the office closed on 30 May 1836.
1833 Fall[14][5] Offered a position as deputy county surveyor by county surveyor John Calhoun, for mostly political reasons as Abraham had no experience or knowledge of surveying.
1834 August 4[14][5]Elected to Illinois State Legislature and served four consecutive two-year terms.
1836 September 9[14][5] Admitted to the Illinois State Bar and licensed to practice law.
1837 April 15[14][5] Moved to Springfield Illinois[6] and began practicing law with John Stuart.
1839 November 1 Signed into record by President Martin Van Buren that Abraham had purchased 47 acres of land through the Springfield, Illinois Land Office.[20]
1842 Abraham lived near Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, USA.[21] (This was at the same time Joseph Smith and the Mormons were in charge of Nauvoo, including raising their own militia and declaring a martial state.)
1842 November 4[22][7] Abraham marries Mary Ann Todd[17][23][7][10][24] in Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois.[22][6][7][24] Another record indicates they were married in Kentucky[24] but this likely due to the license being acquired there.
1864 November 8[28][5] Abraham reelected President of the United States.[6]
1865 April 14[29][5] Abraham shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play at Ford's Theater.
1865 April 15[23][6][7][9][10] Abraham dies in the William Peterson Boarding House on 10th Street in Washington, D.C.[7] from the gun shot wound he received on the 14th.
Legacy
"His great achievement, historians tell us, was his ability to energize and mobilize the nation by appealing to its best ideals while acting "with malice towards none" in the pursuit of a more perfect, more just, and more enduring Union. No President in American history ever faced a greater crisis and no President ever accomplished as much."[30]
The greatest legacies of our 16th President include:
Seventeen U.S. States have named counties in President Lincoln's honor. They are: Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Sources
↑ "Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln," Abraham Lincoln, Ed. Roy P. Basler (1953), Vol. 8, p. 403,404: Last Public Address, 11 Apr 1865
Place of Death... Washington, District of Columbia
Cause of Death... Assassination
Name of Spouse... Mary Todd
Name of Parents... Thomas & Nancy Hanks Lincoln
Name of Step-Mother... Sarah Bush Johnston
↑ 11.011.1Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Year: 1850; Census Place: Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois; Roll: M432_127; Page: 120A; Image: 247. Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C. APID: 8054::0
State... Illinois
County... Sangamon
Township/Other Division... City of Springfield
Post Office... Springfield
Page Number... 239
Line Number... 32
Date... 7 November 1850
Household Members
Abraham
Mary
Robert T.
Age...40
Occupation... Attorney at Law
Place of Birth... Kentucky
↑ 12.012.1Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census. Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Year: 1860; Census Place: Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois; Roll: M653_226; Page: 140; Image: 138; Family History Library Film: 803226. 1860 U.S. census, population schedule. NARA microfilm publication M653, 1,438 rolls. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. APID: 7667::0
State... Illinois
County... Sangamon
Township/Other Division... City of Springfield
Post Office... Springfield
Page Number... 140
Line Number... 16
Date... 14 July 1860
Household Members
Abraham
Mary
Robert T.
Willie W.
Thomas
Age... 51 (1860)
Occupation... Attorney at Law
Value of Real Estate... 5,000
Value of Personal Estate... 12,000
Place of Birth... Kentucky
Married Within Year...
Attended School Within Year...
Persons Over 20 years Who Cannot Read & Write...
Deaf, Dumb, Blind, Insane, Idiotic ...
↑ 13.013.1 Godfrey Memorial Library, comp.. American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI). Provo, Utah: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999.
↑Ancestry.com. U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. United States. Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records. Automated Records Project; Federal Land Patents, State Volumes. http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/. Springfield, Virginia: Bureau of Land Management, Eastern States, 2007. APID: 1246::0
↑ Michael Burlingame, Professor Emeritus of History, Connecticut College, Abraham Lincoln: Impact and Legacy, University of Virginia, Miller Center, U.S. PRESIDENTS: ABRAHAM LINCOLN, online at https://millercenter.org/president/lincoln/impact-and-legacy
"The Lincoln Log", a chronology compiled by the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission with corrections and additions by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
The Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection at Allen County Public Library is an incomparable repository and resource for information on the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln. Through links on the Lincoln Collection page you can access thousands of books, photographs, documents, and other resources related to Abraham Lincoln and his times.
DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Abraham by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA.
However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line.
It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Abraham:
This is a fascinating piece of film: Mr. Samuel J. Seymour, the last living eyewitness to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. was the mystery guest on the February 8, 1956 episode of the I've Got a Secret game show. Mr. Seymour (March 28, 1860 – April 12, 1956) was actually 95 years of age at the time of this appearance instead of 96. Host: Garry Moore. Panelists from left to right: Bill Cullen, Jayne Meadows, Henry Morgan, Lucile Ball.
Retrieved from Rumble
(Here;) Accessed 15 July 2022.
Hmmm, the last sentence, of the first paragraph under the heading Family Descendants has no ‘point’; it is missing something. Appears as if it was left in during an edit?
“ Of the four children of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd only Robert Todd Lincoln ever married and had children.[2] There are ten known descendants of Lincoln.[2] Sons Edward Baker, William Wallace and Thomas "Tad" that never made it to adulthood “
“ Sons Edward Baker, William Wallace and Thomas "Tad" that never made it to adulthood “ is not grammatically correct.
(I’m on Project Orphan Trail 1 and don’t feel comfortable editing his profile.)
Thanks to the US Presidents Project WikiTree for all the good work!! However, I'd like to alert readers that there's a significant date error in the timeline for Pres. Lincoln's profile, which I hope can be corrected soon! Current wording is:
" 1860 May 16[12][3] Abraham elected 16th President of the United States.[4] Was to serve as president throughout the US Civil War."
First, the actual date of the 1860 Presidential Election was November 6, 1860 (first Tuesday in November that year). I confirmed this in Wikipedia but it's easy to check this in any well sourced book or article or government record.
Second, I'm guessing that the date given ("1860 May 16") may have been intended as a separate entry regarding his *nomination* for President at the Republican Party national convention. However, it took several days of delegates wrangling behind the scenes before Mr. Lincoln received more votes than the highest vote getter on the first ballot (William Seward).
Third, it would be most helpful to include some reference for non-Civil war buffs to make clear that Mr. Lincoln did _not_ get a resounding electoral victory in the pivotal November 1860 election. He and his running mate, Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, actually only won only 39.8% of popular vote -- but of course they did win the majority of the electoral college votes (18 out of 33) since the other votes were split between multiple candidates. Yes, President Lincoln deserves accolades for preserving the Union through the war years (1861-65), one of the greatest challenges to our democracy! But his assassination by the uncompromising losers of the war still resonates today.
People in his time called him "Mr President" and friends just called him Lincoln. He disliked "Abe" tho acknowledging "Abraham" was long and formal. A book later settled on a 2nd chapter title of "Honest Abe" despite objections of son Robert T. Lincoln.
him. What upset him was that the other guy had cheated and broke the rules of the fight for those days. The group surrounded him and dared him to fight them all. He stood tough and they knew he would fight each of them if he had to. They gained a new respect for him.
Years later he saw a boat with slaves chained together on it. He did not do anything that day but it haunted him that people were treated like that.
He went on to lose 4 elections before he became president. The Civil War was looming. He knew that if soeone needed help it was bad to look away and not stand up. He had to stand up.
Gettysburg was where the side he was on would be recharged. The main speaker gave an almost 2 hour speach. People were going to give up before this event. Abe went on stage with a 2 minute
He cared for all creatures even when he was little. At 10 he saw some boys putting hot coals on turtles to make them run faster. He knew he had to be brave and stand up for the turtles as they could not do it themselves.
At that time not many people knew how to write. He did however and it was shortly after the turtle incident he wrote one of his first essays. The topic was how it is wrong to be cruel to animals.
He loved books so much he would go to great lengths to get one, even walking 6 miles for one. One of his favorites was about George Washington.
At the age of 22 he encountered the Clary's Grove boys. They were bullies in Illinois where he had just moved. He did not like bullies and ended up in a wresting match with the leader, Jack Armstrong. He lost but that did not upset
Lincoln, the Power of Pardon, and the 1862 Sioux Uprising Roger Billings
April 22 2:00 PM
Main Library, Ft Wayne, IN
Join our upcoming lecture, "Lincoln, the Power of Pardon, and the 1862 Sioux Uprising,"
About this lecture:
Lincoln's experience with Native Americans before the Civil War was scant. An Native American murdered his grandfather; he volunteered to serve in the Blackhawk War in Illinois. That's all. Then came the 1862 Sioux Uprising in Minnesota, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of settlers and interrupted Union Army recruitment. After the Sioux defeat, 303 Sioux prisoners were condemned to death by a military tribunal. Lincoln stayed their execution until he could review their files. Ultimately he spared all but 38. What followed was the largest mass execu
William Franklin Berry 1811, the son of Rev John McCutchen Berry 1788 and grandson of James Berry 1740 was a close friend of Abraham Lincoln.
Reverend John McCutchen Berry our great-great-grandfather's great-uncle and his son William, our 1st cousin 5 times removed, opened the Berry-Lincoln Store New Salem, Illinois in 1833.
The close family ties that our Berrys had with Abraham Lincoln are well documented and indisputable. The cousin relationship through Rebecca Berry, is further evidence of these bonds.
The Rev. John McCutchen Berry is known to us, of course, mostly as the pastor at Rock Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church and father of Abraham Lincolns partner in the stores.
In August 1832, Abraham Lincoln entered his position as a storekeeper with William F. Berry.
A quote by Abraham: "I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong."
Meltzer, Brad, Heroes for my son, pgs 78-79, Harper Collins Publishing
President Lincoln was the only child who survived to adulthood. However, he did have a sister. In an 1846 letter to Andrew Johnston, Lincoln talked about a visit to his childhood home : "I went into the neighborhood in that state in which I was raised, where my mother and only sister were buried ..." Lincoln reportedly also had a brother named Thomas who died in infancy, but I haven't seen a source for that.
Perhaps the best source for Lincoln is http://www.thelincolnlog.org/ which includes a chronology compiled by the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission, along with corrections and additions by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
REALATIVE FINDER / FAMILY SEARCH https://relativefinder.org/#/relatives/individual/LZJW-C31/LVXG-VWV/31426/844/LY28-WB7/7/false/Male/Abraham%2520Lincoln/James%2520Hamilton/U.S.%2520Presidents
Retrieved from Rumble (Here;) Accessed 15 July 2022.
“ Of the four children of Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd only Robert Todd Lincoln ever married and had children.[2] There are ten known descendants of Lincoln.[2] Sons Edward Baker, William Wallace and Thomas "Tad" that never made it to adulthood “
“ Sons Edward Baker, William Wallace and Thomas "Tad" that never made it to adulthood “ is not grammatically correct.
(I’m on Project Orphan Trail 1 and don’t feel comfortable editing his profile.)
edited by RW Williams
" 1860 May 16[12][3] Abraham elected 16th President of the United States.[4] Was to serve as president throughout the US Civil War."
First, the actual date of the 1860 Presidential Election was November 6, 1860 (first Tuesday in November that year). I confirmed this in Wikipedia but it's easy to check this in any well sourced book or article or government record. Second, I'm guessing that the date given ("1860 May 16") may have been intended as a separate entry regarding his *nomination* for President at the Republican Party national convention. However, it took several days of delegates wrangling behind the scenes before Mr. Lincoln received more votes than the highest vote getter on the first ballot (William Seward). Third, it would be most helpful to include some reference for non-Civil war buffs to make clear that Mr. Lincoln did _not_ get a resounding electoral victory in the pivotal November 1860 election. He and his running mate, Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, actually only won only 39.8% of popular vote -- but of course they did win the majority of the electoral college votes (18 out of 33) since the other votes were split between multiple candidates. Yes, President Lincoln deserves accolades for preserving the Union through the war years (1861-65), one of the greatest challenges to our democracy! But his assassination by the uncompromising losers of the war still resonates today.
- Lincoln biographer Jason Emerson
He went on to pass a law to end slavery in America and free the people, then the Civil war was ended.
He found that one of the greatest strengths is in standing up for whats right and for others who need help.
Source:
Meltzer, Brad, I am Abraham Lincoln: Ordinary people change the world, Penguin
Years later he saw a boat with slaves chained together on it. He did not do anything that day but it haunted him that people were treated like that.
He went on to lose 4 elections before he became president. The Civil War was looming. He knew that if soeone needed help it was bad to look away and not stand up. He had to stand up.
Gettysburg was where the side he was on would be recharged. The main speaker gave an almost 2 hour speach. People were going to give up before this event. Abe went on stage with a 2 minute
At that time not many people knew how to write. He did however and it was shortly after the turtle incident he wrote one of his first essays. The topic was how it is wrong to be cruel to animals.
He loved books so much he would go to great lengths to get one, even walking 6 miles for one. One of his favorites was about George Washington.
At the age of 22 he encountered the Clary's Grove boys. They were bullies in Illinois where he had just moved. He did not like bullies and ended up in a wresting match with the leader, Jack Armstrong. He lost but that did not upset
April 22 2:00 PM Main Library, Ft Wayne, IN
Join our upcoming lecture, "Lincoln, the Power of Pardon, and the 1862 Sioux Uprising," About this lecture:
Lincoln's experience with Native Americans before the Civil War was scant. An Native American murdered his grandfather; he volunteered to serve in the Blackhawk War in Illinois. That's all. Then came the 1862 Sioux Uprising in Minnesota, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of settlers and interrupted Union Army recruitment. After the Sioux defeat, 303 Sioux prisoners were condemned to death by a military tribunal. Lincoln stayed their execution until he could review their files. Ultimately he spared all but 38. What followed was the largest mass execu
Reverend John McCutchen Berry our great-great-grandfather's great-uncle and his son William, our 1st cousin 5 times removed, opened the Berry-Lincoln Store New Salem, Illinois in 1833. The close family ties that our Berrys had with Abraham Lincoln are well documented and indisputable. The cousin relationship through Rebecca Berry, is further evidence of these bonds.
The Rev. John McCutchen Berry is known to us, of course, mostly as the pastor at Rock Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church and father of Abraham Lincolns partner in the stores. In August 1832, Abraham Lincoln entered his position as a storekeeper with William F. Berry.
Meltzer, Brad, Heroes for my son, pgs 78-79, Harper Collins Publishing
Perhaps the best source for Lincoln is http://www.thelincolnlog.org/ which includes a chronology compiled by the Lincoln Sesquicentennial Commission, along with corrections and additions by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.